SINDHUPALCHOWK: In what can be termed inhuman conduct, China has barred as many as 1000 cargo containers from entering Nepal at the Nepal-China border in Tatopani.

The containers carrying goods imported by Nepali traders for Dashain and Tihar festivals have been stopped in Khasa, a bordering town of China.

As a result, Nepali businessmen have been hit hard as the Chinese authorities have allowed only 6 to 10 containers to enter from the Tatopani checkpoint in Nepal’s Sindhupalchowk district, and 4 to 9 containers from Kerung daily.

China has barred the import of more than 10 containers of the Tatopani border point.

Nepali traders, meanwhile, said that Chinese authorities have not allowed the containers carrying goods for the festive season to enter Nepal.

The Chinese authorities have been allowing only a limited number of containers to enter Nepal.

Nepali businessmen are bound to wait for the turn after China stopped the containers in their territory.

However, the government has not taken any concrete initiative to facilitate the smooth passage of Nepali goods to the country. It takes more than two months for goods to reach Nepal if they are brought through the sea route.

It usually takes not more than 15 days for the good to enter Nepal through Tatopani and Rasuwa border points.

Ashok Kumar Shrestha, President of the Nepal Himalayan Cross-Border Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said this has incurred a hefty loss to Nepali traders.

Items such as clothes, apples, electrical items, and other goods meant for Dashain and Tihar festivals have been stuck at Khasa.

China has imposed an undeclared blockade of the Tatopani and Rasuwa border points after the 2015 devastating earthquake in Nepal.

Moreover, the Tatopani road has been in dilapidated condition for years due to lack of maintenance and natural calamities.

Even though China’s undeclared blockade has adversely affected the Nepali businessmen, the northern neighbor has not shown any interest in opening the border citing earthquake, the coronavirus pandemic and lockdown.

The locals had agitated against China last year saying that Tatopani was opened.

Economist Achyut Wagle says that Nepali traders have not been able to raise their voices even though they are compelled to throw away their goods due to the undeclared blockade.

Speaking at Khabarhub Dialogue, Wagle said that China has blocked the checkpoints on the pretext of coronavirus pandemic.

“What if India had closed the checkpoints on the same grounds?” he queried.

Wagle said besides border encroachment by China, Nepal has been incurring a trade deficit in the ratio of 1:30 with China due to the undeclared blockade.

“The question is: what would have happened in Nepal if India, too, imposed an undeclared blockade?” he asked, referring to what he said was a competition to show oneself more nationalist by being vocal about the anti-Indian narratives in Nepal.

According to him, as many as 2400 containers carrying essentials goods to Nepal from China are stuck on the other side of the border suggesting redefining Nepal’s relations with China based on uniformity, not political bias.

Revenue collection has also dropped drastically as the border has been closed.

Narad Gautam, Chief of the Tatopani Dry Port Customs Office, said that the Chinese side has allowed limited containers to enter Nepal daily.

The Chinese side has been stopping containers to enter Nepal from the Tatopani checkpoint that has remained closed after the 2015 earthquake.

Employment, trade, imports, exports and revenue collection have been affected as China has imposed an undeclared blockade.

It should be noted that Nepal and China signed a transit agreement on March 21, 2016. Along with the agreement, Nepal was expected to increase its imports and exports from China by exercising its transit rights.

A protocol on transit was signed on April 29, 2019, during President Bidhya Devi Bhandari’s state visit to China. Despite the agreement on paper, Nepal has not been able to promote trade with China.

Former Ambassador Vijay Kant Karna, too, raised concern over China’s high-handedness and undeclared blockade in major border points, including Tatopani and Rasuwa, especially during the festive season.

Meanwhile, efforts are being made to ease the situation.

The Chinese announcement to make Nepal a land-linked country has been limited to papers.

He added that the then Oli government had signed a transit agreement with China but no benefits had been achieved.

He said that there has been a “show of nationalism” when the agreement was signed, but the voices have been softer as China failed to implement it.

In the initial days of the coronavirus pandemic started, China had blocked the Kerung border point for some time.

Meanwhile, despite the hardship and the loss to the Nepali traders, China has not yet shown any interest in opening the border points.

Nepali traders who were making a good income from the Tatopani business before the earthquake are now in trouble.

About 1,500 containers belonging to the Nepal Truck Container Association and the Mini Truck Association, which were in operation before the earthquake, have not been able to operate smoothly of late.

BRI in limbo

Meanwhile, despite signing a MoU between Nepal and China on the China’s Belt and Road Initiatives (BRI), nothing much has been accomplished so far.

The MoU was then hailed as one of the most significant initiative it seems that the agreement is heading toward astray.

It should be noted that Nepal had then identified nine projects to finance under the BRI.

However, none of them have been implemented so far.